Rotary table bushing



Jan. 19, 1937. w. A. ABEGG l ROTARY TABLE BUSH'ING Filed April 4, 1956 Pff/ Inventar l Walter-beggi Patented .isa 19, 1937 ,UNlrli-:D y STATES Pafrleila'r-il oF'FicE.

sans no'rAmr 'raam BUsmNG Walter A. Abegg, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-half to B. Reinhold, Los Angeles, Calif.

'Application sp1-u 4,1936, sei-al1 No. 12,146

14 Claims.

'Ihis invention vhas to do .with the bushings, commonly known as table bushings or master bushings, used in the rotary tables of rotary drill- The table, rotated by applied power in a horizontal plane, has a central bushing receiving opening which, although not limited to any particular coniiguration, commonly is cylindric in its lower part, square in its upper part, and with 15 an upwardly facing shoulder between the cylindricand square parts. This opening, usually of substantially largersize than the drillpipe being used, receives the set of table bushings which in Y turn'receives the set' of pipe engaging bushings. The fatter, the pipe engaging bushings, may either be of the type known as slips, which are employed for supporting pipe, or may be of the type known as driving or kelly bushings which were employed to engage the usually square kelly,

Both sets of bushings are commonly made in av plurality of sections. the table bushings usually in tw'o sections, the rotary driving bushings usual- 'ly in two sections (though sometimes the driving Y bushing is of one-piece construction) andthe pipe supporting bushings or slips commonly'in two or more sections. Due to the wedging action of the pipe supporting slips a heavy outward pressure is placed upon the table bushings when pipe -is being supported, this pressure being transmitted A through said bushings to the rotary table. When the pipe driving bushings are in use reactive forces involved in the driving torque put spreading pressures upon the table bushings, these presi sures likewise' being .transmitted to and with- 40 stood bythe rotary table. In such cases, and

particularly when'using the pipe supported slips,

the surfaces of the central table opening are subjected to heayy pressures and therefore to constant wear.

y 45,. It is one of the objects of the present invention tpfprovide a table or master bushing construction vin which lsuch spreading forces are taken up withinthe bushing itself, so that spreading forces 50 are not transmitted to the table, and so that wear on the table surfaces .under the heavy pressures otherwise imposed is eliminated. y, l iOther objects, such as those having to do with `organizing the;v parts into a unitary bushing that 55 can be handled as a unit,'and providing for hinged (c1. ass-za) connection between the bushing parts, will be understood from what follows.

Although my improved bushing may be made 'up of any suitable number of 4bushing parts, I

prefer to make it up of two bushing parts so .5 that, when the parts are interconnected by spaced pin connections, the bushing as a whole will be rigid. In the bushing thus made up of two parts, each of which is rigid, those two parts are then, in accordance with my invention, interconnected 10 by pin connections of such a nature that either pin connection, if the other is withdrawn, may act as a hinge. Thus in a bushing so .built up there inhere both the advantage of a bushing which, as

a whole, is rigid, and the advantage of being 15 readily transformable into a hinged construction that, although still having its parts interconnected, can be opened for placement about a pipe or the like.

Also, although the preferred two bushing parts 20 need not be duplicates, I prefer to make up the complete bushing of two duplicate halves. Accordingly, in the following specific description, but without limitation upon the invention itself,f I shalldescribe -a practically preferred form of the invention as illustratively embodied in a table, l or master bushing made up'of two duplicate or symmetric bushing halves.

For the purpose of such descriptionreference is had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan showing my improved bushing as. it appears in use applied to a rotary table, and with rotary drive bushings installed in the table bushing; y

Fig. 2 is a vertical section. taken as indicated 35 by line 2-2 on Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is a plan of the table bushing itself, showing it with one of the interconnection pins removed and the parts opened up on the other pin acting as a hinge; 40

' Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; vand Fig.- 5 is a vertical section taken as indicated by line 5-5 of Fig. l, but showing pipesupporting bushings or slips applied to the table bushing. A

In'the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, a typical rotary table 'I is shown, mounted on bearings I0 and driven lby gear Il. This-table typically has a central openingwhose lower part l2. is cylindric, and upperpart I3 substantially square, the cor- 50 ners of the square being relieved, as shown in the plan of Fig. 1. The square upper part I3 of the table opening is large enough that an upwardly facing shoulder Il lies between the parts I2 and V13. This shoulder I4 may or may not be annular 55 the square.

shoulder which aiords support for the master or table bushing;

My improved table bushing, in the specic preferred form here being described, comprises two duplicate halves H adapted vto be secured together by the two pins P, the pins preferably, though not necessarily, being tapered. Each bushing half has a. lower portion 20, the exterior surface oi which is substantially semi-cylindric, as indicated at 2|; and when the two bushing halves are pinned together, these two lower portions form a substantially cylindric lower bushing assembly adapted to t fairly tightly, but yet ireely, into theV lower cylindric portion I2 of the table opening. Y

The upperportion of each bushing. half is in half-square formation; so ,that the, assembled bushing halves, considered as a unit, have an 'upper portion which is substantially of square formation-a portion which may otherwise be described as being in the ,nature of a square flange on the upper end of the cylindric portionv generally designated by the numeral' '25; and the4 lower, downwardly facing surface of this square iiange is adapted to seat on the upwardly facing shoulder I4 of the table while the flange-square itself fits fairly closely, but yet fr eely, into the square opening |3 of thev table. Theplane of separation oi' the-two bushing halves, indicated by p in Fig. 3, and coinciding generally with the section line 5-5 on Fig. '1, is on a diagonal of Near what may be termed the joining ends of the two segmental bushing halves, they are in- 1 terconnected by the taper pin P. As more particularly shown in thedetail oi.' Fig, 4, the two halves H have intertting projections or hinge lugs 25 and 21,- taper-bored for the reception of .the taper pins P which t all of the lugs tightly.`

Outside the pin connections the two bushing halves are relieved, as at 3|),A so Vthat when one of the pins,P is removed the two bushing halves can be opened up to such a spread -as is indicatedinFig.- 3. Either of the pins P may be thus used as a hingepin when the other pin is withdrawn. It is immaterial which pin P is used as a hinge..- Both the pins vP are preferably removable, se that the bushing halves may be separated if desired. I preferably make provision for easily and readily removing one of the pins vso that in practice the other becomes the one `that acts as a hinge pi Thus, the pin P that is shownvin Fig. 4 (the vone appearing at VVthe right in Fig. 5 and at the top ofthe drawingin Fig. 1) is provided at its upper end with a transverse hole 3| adapted. for 'the insertion of any: suitable tool; and the mounting of the bushing is relieved adjacent the hole l3|, as best indicated at 32 in Figs. 4 and 5. To initially lift and loosen this taper pin P, I pro'- 65. videa vertical drive pin 33 mounted in a suitable vertical bore 34 in one of the bushinghalves. The upper end of this drive pin .lies in an enlarged counter bore 35, flush with the uppersurface ofJ the bushing.' Thelower end of the drive -pin bears, as at 36, upon one end of a centrally pivoted lever 31, the otherend oi' this lever lying directly under the lower end of the taper pin P. The lower end of drive pin 33 is alsoL pinned, as at 38, to' the lever 31 toprevent accidental dis- 75, placement of drive pin 33 from its bore. 'Ihe lever pivot 40 is supported by a lug or lugs 4| depending from the lower surface o1' the bushing half.

It will be readily understood how this one tapered pin may easily and readily be removed by :ilrst starting it by driving on the drive pin 33 and then lifting it` o ut with any suitable implement. And the pin may thus be easily removed even though it does t tightly. It is intended that these tapered 'connection pins P ilt the two bushing halves accurately and tightly, providing a rigid interconnection between the bushing halves. For that purpose the pins are care- "f-ully fitted into their tapered bores, and the taper is rather slight so that the pins' willdrop into close it.

Other structural featuresv of my improved Vbushing. need only a cursory explanation. The upper or square portions of the bushing halves are recessed, as at 45, and the lower portions are `internally cored out,as at 46, to lighten the construction. "I'his internal coring leaves ribs, as shown at 41 in dotted lines'in Fig. 1, and as shown in full section in Fig.-2, to give the bushing halves the requisite strength. In the upper faces of the two bushing halves I provide the usual hook holes 48 to facilitate engaging and lifting the bushings. v

The, internal opening in the table bushing may be of any desired form and commonly will be of the standard form embodying an upper square opening portion 50 and a lower tapered conical portion 5| with an upwardly facing shoulder 52a between the two portions. As in ,usual practice, the pipe supporting bushing or wedge slips, as shown at 52 in Fig. 5, fit into the lower conical tapered portion 5| of the opening in the table bushing. These slips, riding down the tapered surfaces of openings 5|, which surfaces are preferably'especially hardened, wedgingly grip a pipe or casing, such as shown at C; and the' lateral, or horizontal, forces involved in this Wedge gripping action are in some cases very large. These "lateral forces are of course transmitted to the halves of the table bushing; and, were it not for the pin interconnection between those halves would then be transmitted through those halves to the table itself. Closely tting pins P, however, not only hold the bushing halves in perfect alinement, but also vtake those lateral forces or spreading pressures, and thus prevent those pressures from being, imposed upon the rotary table. Bushingsv for rotationally driving-the rotary pipe, or kelly K such as is shown in Figs. 1 and .2,- are usuallyvof the formshown at 55 vin those figures. 'Commonly two such driving bushings are employed (though one-piecel drive"bulshings are sometimes used) each having a tapered loW-' ered portion56 which somewhat loosely fits the lowered tapered portion 5| of the table bushingopening. and an upper rectangular portion 51.-

y bushings. Normally these spreading forces cause pressures upon the table itself, and, as in the l .2,068,218 case where zsupporting slips 'are being used, these pressures cause wear of the table surfaces. But here again, as before, the tightly fitting interconnecting pins P hold the two bushing halves H together as a rigid whole, preventing .spreading, and thus preventing those lateral spreading pressures from being applied to the table.

The spreading tendency will accompany the transmission of -driving torque whether the drive bushing be sectional or one-piece, and the remedy noted above is equally effective in either-case.

Therefore, the showing of a sectional drive bushying is in. no Way to 'be-considered as limitative on the invention considered in itsk broader aspects.

I have noted that the form. here described, embodying two substantially duplicate or.l symmetric table bushing parts, is merely typical; that the 4invention may be applied to a table bushing of more than two parts and that. the

a unitarybushing adapted exteriorly to fit a rotary table and interiorly to takejpipe engaging lbushings, and'means to interconnect the bushingparts, said means comprising interengaging formations on each of the end portions of the bushing parts, and downwardly pointing tapered pins tting complementary registering pin holes 1n said formations to interconnect thefparts.

2. A rotary table bushing, comprising a pair of complementary rigidl bushing parts forming a unitary bushing adapted exteriorly to fit a rotary table and interiorly to take pipe engaging bushings, and means to interconnect the bushing parts, said means'A comprising interengaging formations on each of the end portions sof the bushing parts, and downwardly pointing tapered pins fitting complementary registeringv pin' holes in said formations to' interconnect the parts; one of said pininterconnections when acting alone forming a hinge connection between the-bush ing parts allowing the parts to be swung apart when the other pin is removed.

3. A rotary table bushing, comprising a pair of complementary rigid. bushing parts forming a unitary annular bushing adapted exteriorly to nt a rotary table and interiorly to take pipe engaging members, each of said parts forming a segment of thevcomplete bushing annulus and joining the other part at its segmental ends, and

' means interconnecting the joining ends of the l segmental parts,said means including interengaging formations on said joining ends provided removable, andA means carried by one of the bushing'V parts adapted for forcing the removable pin forremoval. l

4. A rotary' table bushing, comprising a plu- 'ralityof complementary rigid bushing parts forming a unitary bushing yadapted exteriorly to fit a rotary table andinteri'orly to take pipe engaging members, means including a plurality of spaced hinge pins adapted 'rigidly to intercon hect the bushing parts directly so that pressures due to spreading forces applied to the bushingparts are not applied to the rotary table, and means carried by one of the bushing parts adapted for forcing one of said pins for removal,

5. A rotary table bushing, comprising a pair of complementai'y rigid. bushing parts forming a unitary `bushing `adapted exteriorly to fit a `rotary table and interiorly to take pipe engagv ing, members, andmeans to interconnect the bushing parts, said means comprising interen s gaging formations on each of the end portions of the bushing parts, registering pin holes in said parts, pins fitting said holes to interconnect the parts; one of said pin interconnections when a'cting alone forming a, hinge connection between the bushing parts allowing the parts to be swung apart when the other pin is removed, and means carried by-one ,of the bushing partsadapted for forcing one of said pins for removal.

6. A rotary table bushing, comprising a pair of complementary rigid bushing parts forming a unitary bushing adapted exteriorly-to t a rotary table and interiorly to take pipe en gaging members, and'means to interconnect the bushing parts, said means comprising interengaging formations on each of the end portions of the bushing parts, registering tapered pin holes in said parts, tapered pins fitting said holes to interconnect the parts, and means carried lby one of the vbushing parts adapted for forcing the removable pin for removal.

7. In a rotary tableI bushing adapted tobek "moved vertically into and out of the` central opening of a rotary table, a'plurality `of complementary rigid bushing parts forming a untary bushing adapted exteriorly to fit the central opening of the tableand interiorly to take pipe engaging members, and -means rigidlyto interconnect the bushing parts directly so that pressures due to spreading forces applied to the bushing parts are not applied to the rotary table, said means comprising a hinge connection between-one set of Jadjacent bushing-part-ends,

interengaging vformations between another set of adjacent bushing-part-ends, and a removable, downwardly pointing tapered pin closely fitted interengaging formations.'

8. In a rotary table bushing adaptedlytp be moved vertically into and out of .the central opening .of a rotary table, a plurality of complementary rigid bushing parts forming a unitary bushing adapted exteriorly to fit the centrai opening of thetable and interiorly to take pipe engaging members; and means 'rigidly to interconnect the bushing parts directly so that r'in/complementary, registered pin holes in said pressures due to spreading forces applied to the .bushing parts are not applied' to the rotary table, said means comprising a hinge connection be tweenl one set of adjacent .bushing-part-enods, interengaging formations between another set. of adjacentbushing-part-ends, a-removable, `downwardly pointing tapered pin closely fitted in complementary,` registered pin holes in said yinterengaging' formations, and means carried by one of the bushing parts and engageable with the pin for forcing it upwardly. c

9. In a rotary tabl vbushing adapted to be moved vertically 'into and outl of the central opening of a rotary table,v a plurality f complementary rigid bushingl parts forming a unitary bushing adapted to 'exteriorly fitv the central opening of the tablel and interiorly'tov take pipe engaging members, 'and means 4rigidly to intersures due to spreading forces applied to-'the v bushing parts are not applied to the rotary ta- A ble, said means comprising ahinge connection between `oneset of adjacentY bushingpartends,75

interengaging formations between another set of adjacent bushing-part-ends, a removable, downwardly pointing tapered pin closely tted in complementary, registered pin holes in said interengaging formations, means carried by one of the bushing parts and engageable with the lower'.

end of the pin for forcing it upwardly, and means Iaccessible from the top of said one bushing part for operating said last named means.

10; In a rotary table bushing adapted to be one set of adjacent bushing-part-ends, a` vertically arranged pin connecting another set of adjacent-bushing-part-ends and movable upwardly to disconnect said last named ends, anda means carried by one of the bushing parts adapted for moving said pin upwardly.

11. In a rotary table bushing adapted to be moved vertically into and out oi' the central opening of a'rotary table, a plurality of complementary bushing parts forming a. unitary bushing adapted exteriorly to ilt the central open ingfof the table and interiorly to take pipe engaging members, a hinge connection between one set of adjacent bushing-part-ends, a vertical1y`arran`ged pin connecting another set of adjacent bushing-part-ends and movable upwardlyto disconnect said last named ends, means carried by one of the bushing parts 'adapted for thrusting said pin upwardly, and means accessible from the top oi' said one bushing part for operating said last named means.

means for pivotally moving the lever in a direcnon to thrust the pin upwardly.

13. In a rotary table bushing,v a plurality of 'bushing parts forming a unitary bushing adapted exteriorly'to t a rotary table and interiorly to take pipe engaging members, means to interconnect the bushingparts and including a vertically arranged pin connecting adjacent bushing-part-ends and movable upwardly to disconnect said ends, and meansv for moving said pin upwardly, said means comprising a lever pivoted intermediate its ends on one of the bushing parts, one end of said lever being adapted to engage the underside of the pin, and a push rod lextending vertically through the bushing part with its upper end accessible from the top of the part and its lower end engaging the other end of said lever.

-14. In a rotary table bushing, a plurality of' bushing parts forming a unitary bushing adapted exteriorly to t a rotary table and interiorly to take pipe engaging members, releasable means for interconnecting the bushing parts, and means on one of the bushing parts adapted for `releasing said interconnecting means.

WAL'I'ER A. ABEGG. 

